Wire tightener for concrete forms



0.1. JOHNSON. WIRE TIGHTENER FOR CONCRETE FORMS. APPLICATION FILED IAN. 10. 1921. RENEWED -MAY 19.1922.

43 50 Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. J. JOHNSON.

WIRE TIGHTENER FQR CONCRETE FORMS. APPLICATION FILED JAN-10.1921. RENEWED MAY 19.1922.

1,438,650. P en e Dec. .12, 1922.

' 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

44: a1 35' 36 is Car 2%? (717672708071 attoznaqi Patented Dec, 1%, i922.

oenrnaa. Johnson, on ennnn BAY, Wisconsin.

WIRE TIG-HTENER FDR CONCRETE FORMS.

Application filed. January 10, 1921, Serial No. 436,166. Renewed May 19, 1922. Serial No 562,264.

To all whom it may concern it known that l. (Bursa J, JOEETHHON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Green Bay in the county of Brown, idtate oi Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in "Wire T l. ers tor Concrete Forms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention. relates to new and useful improvements in wire twisters and tighteners, and particularly to devices or tighteners for use in connection with concrete molding forms.

One object of the invention is to provide a device with which the transverse binding wires of a concrete molding form can be easily and quickly reached and properly twisted, for the purpose of holding the walls of the term together,

it. other object is to provide a device of this character by means 01''? which the wires can be twisted in either direction, untwisted,

or the device rendered inoperative by a novel means on the handle of the tool.

Qther objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing Figure 1 is an elevation of the twisting): tool, in operative position within a mold form and engaged with the wires tobe twisted.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the tool viewed from direction at right angles to that of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an elevation 01. the device, one

side of the casing being removed and'the stein above the casing partly in section.

Figure 4: is a vertical longitudinal central sectional view through the device on the line l--lof Figure 3, the ratchet wheels in the handle being shown in elevation.

Referring particularly to the accompanying; drawing- 10 represents a casing having the removable front and back cover plates 1i and. 12, and having; the circular opening 13 in the central portion of its upper wall. In the lower portion of the ca'singtherc is mounted ring 14, the same havingan opening 15 in its outer side. In this ring; is 1'0- tatably supported the gear ring 16 said ring also having an opening 1.7 in side tor are capable of independent rotation.

registration with the opening 15 to admit the wires 18 to be twisted; Formed integrah ly with the gear 16, at a point diametrically opposite to the opening 17 and projecting across the center of the ring toward the opening 17, is a pin or tongue 19, which is engaged between the wires 18, when said wires are passed through toe openings 15 and 17, into the interior of the ring gear 16. The inner face of the ring 14:, that is the wall 01- the'central opening; hereof, is formed with a channel 20 in which are disposed the bearing rollers 2l,and on these hearings the hub of the gear ring 16 rotates. The periphery oi the gearring is formed with teeth 16 which are meshed by the teeth oithe two gears 22 mounted on shafts 23 which extend across the casing. A shaft-24i is disposed transversely in the casing above and intern'iediate the shafts 23, and on this shaft there are mounted the bevel gear 25 and the plain gear 26. The plain gear 26 meshes with both otthe gears: 22 simultaneously,as clearly seen in the drawing for the purpose ofdriving the gear ring 16. i

Disposed within the opening 13, and eX- tending therefrom above the casing. is a tubular member 27, and rotatably disposed in the lower portion of. said tubular member, and projecting into the casing, is a rotatable member 28, a bevelgear 29 being secured on the lower end ottthe tube and meshing with the beiore roentioned bevel gear 25 of the shaft 24:. The member 28 is formed with a peripheral groove 28 in which is disposed the inner end of a screw 30 carried by the member 27, whereby the tube or member 27 and themember 28 EX- tending upward from the center of the member 28 is a stem 31 of angular cross section, and on this stem are disposed the ratchet wheels 32, 33,.and Be, and the reduced stem 35 of the member 28. On one side of the tube 27 there is mounted a longitudinally extending. casing 36 having a longzitudinal slot 37 in its outer wall, and disposed through this slotisthe stem 38 of the detent 89, the detent alsojbeing disposed in an elongated slot in the side of the tube. A coil spring 40 is disposed on the, stem 38, between the outer wall of the casing 36 and the head of the detenh said spring! normally urging the detent inwardly into engagement with one or another of the ratchet wheels The teeth or? the wheel extend in a direction to permit the detent to engage therewith when the tube 27 is turned toward the right andto ratchet idly thereover when the tube is rotated in the opposite direction. The wheel 33 is formed to permit the detent to grip therewith when the tube is turned toward the left, while the wheel at has its teeth so l'ormed as topre vent rotation of the tube in either direction. When the detent is opposite thestem 35, the tube may be rotated in either direction. It will thus be seen that when the detent is in engageemnt with any of the ratchet wheels the tubular member 27 and the member 28 are locked together for simultaneous rotation.

Secured to the upper end or the stem 31 is a handle 27, the lower end portion of which is reduced and disposed within the upper end of thetubular member 27.

v The wire 18 having been properly passed back and forth through the side walls of the mold form, and the ends twisted outi the strands.

wardly of the said sides, there extend two strands across the space between the sides. It is these two strands which are adapted to be twisted by the tool above described, whereby the wire is properly stretched and the sides of the form held in proper position. The handle of the tool is rotated to rotate-the gear ring 16 so as to, register its side opening 17 with the opening of the ring 14, when'the tool is passed between the sides of the mold until the wire strands pass through the said openings 15 and 17, and the tongue 19 disposes itself between Then upon rotating the handle so as to rotate the tubular member 27,

the gearing will turn the gear ring 16, ro-

tating the wire strands therein and twisting them about each other until the required tension has been obtained.

By shifting the detent from one ratchet wheel to another, the operator may cause the twisting of the wires in either direction,

or may untwist them.

The common method employed to accomplish this twisting of the wire strands consists in inserting a nail or spike between the strands and then rotating the nail or spike. This has proven unsatisfactory as the spike or nail often slips from the grasp of the operator, entailing loss of time and patience. The present device possesses considerably more leverage and power than the employment of a nail or spike, with the consequent expenditure of less time and labor.

What is claimed is:

1. Awire twisting tool comprising a casing having a ring in one end formed with i an opening in-the lower side thereof for the entrance of the strands of wire to be twisted, a rotatable ring gear mounted in the said ring and having an opening in one side for registry with the opening of the'first ring to receive said wire strands, a pair of gears meshing with thering gear, a common gear meshing with said pair of gears and mounted on a shaft in the casing, a bevel gear on the shaft, and a rotatable ratchet means in the casing and carrying a bevel gear meshing on the stationary member, and a detent on the tube shiitable into engagement with the indivldual ratchet toothed members.

3. A wire twisting tool comprising a sta 'tionary open ring, a rotatable open ring mounted within the stationary ring, a handle connected with the stationary ring and including a pair of relatively rotatable members, one of the members being operatively connected with the rotatable ring, and means carried by the other member and shiftable into engagement with the first member for producing unitary rotation of both members. I

4. A wire twisting tool comprising a stationary open ring. a rotatable open ring mounted in the stationary ring, a handle connected with the stationary ring and including a rotatable tube, a driving element fixed on the tube and operativelyengaged with the rotatable ring, a rotatable stem within the tube and carrying toothed elements, anda-detent on the tube shiftable from one to another or" the toothed elements for clutching the tube and stem together.

5. A wire twisting tool comprising a stationaryring and a rotatable ring, a pair of relatively rotatablemembers one of which is in driving engagement with the rotatable ring, the other member having a plurality of toothed elements, and a shiftable dctent carried by the first member for clutching en:

gagement with the difierent toothed elements to permit the members to be simultaneously rotated in either direction.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

. CARTER J. JOHNSON. Witnesses: I

C. E. OSMOND, 1 MARK BncKnR. 

